Washing machines are ordinarily provided with an inner tub which rotates on a shaft which extends downwardly and is supported within a cylindrical bearing housing by a pair of annular ball bearing rings. Over a period of time, these bearings, particularly the upper spin tube bearing, will become worn and cause the machine to become noisy in operation. In laundromats, in which the machines are subject to heavy use, the upper bearing frequently becomes worn and the sounds made by the machine in this condition can reach the level of a bloodcurdling screech above which no ordinary conversation can be maintained. Although this is a prevalent problem in laundromats, and although machines marketed under the trademark Speed Queen are in wide use in laundromats, this machine is so constructed that to remove and replace the upper spin tube bearing is an 8 hour job according to the factory manual, and in practice works out to be at least five hours even when working fast due to the timeconsuming dismantling and reassembly of the machine which must take place. The assembly is so arranged that almost the entire machine must be dismantled to make the upper spin tube bearing accessible, and according to the manual, when it is accessible in the bearing housing it is driven out by a wooden block and hammer so that the new bearing may be installed.